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Yomiuri Shimbun
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
With Stakes High, White House Pushes Negotiations with Harvard
The Trump administration is ramping up negotiations with Harvard University in an effort to reach an end to its months-long battle with the elite school, two senior White House officials have said, as Harvard has been racking up legal wins in court. The administration expects a deal to land by the end of the month, one official said, and hopes the agreement would make a big enough splash to 'basically be a blueprint for the rest of higher education.' The White House officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. Harvard declined to comment. The university has been a key target in the Trump administration's mounting attacks on higher education, which have focused on diversity efforts and allegations of antisemitism on campuses across the country. Harvard has drawn praise in academia for its efforts to push back on the White House's sweeping demands to limit student protests, submit to extensive government oversight, and revamp its admissions and hiring practices. The university has also amassed dozens of statements of support from organizations, universities and states in a lawsuit filed after the administration froze federal research funding. A person close to the university, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the matter's sensitivity, said Tuesday that Harvard will not compromise its values or its First Amendment rights. Harvard allies, free-speech advocates and others have feared that the Trump administration would use its attacks on Harvard to exert control over universities nationwide and dismantle academic freedom. Whatever the outcome, the case will create a significant precedent, said higher education attorney Sarah Hartley. 'This is the playbook to be used with other universities by the government going forward,' said Hartley, a partner at the Washington-based law firm BCLP. 'It, in many ways, is being used as a test of democracy and what the government can force on private institutions.' Harvard has filed two lawsuits against the Trump administration in an effort to block its punitive actions, including freezing more than $3 billion in federal funding, which imperils scientific and medical research at the university. Court filings in that case, submitted either in support of Harvard or the government, offer a window into the opposing camps that have been drawn into the battle and spotlight how the fight between the Trump administration and Harvard is being felt across America. More than 40 parties in support of Harvard's case filed amicus briefs – legal statements submitted in court by parties who are affected by, but not directly involved in, the case. They included groups of 12,000 Harvard alumni, 24 research universities, 12 hospitals and 18 former U.S. officials. In the briefs, the hospitals wrote that their ability to develop treatments and cures for diseases is at stake if the research funding is not reinstated. Universities said research projects like those that put humans on the moon and created cancer drugs are threatened. More than 20 states said more cuts to university research would devastate their economies. And free-speech advocates said the United States' bedrock ideals are at risk. In response, a group of 16 Republican-led states filed a brief on Monday in support of the Trump administration and its cutoff of federal funding to Harvard. In the brief, conservative attorneys general echoed the government's claims that Harvard has discriminated against Jews in violation of federal law and that the federal government is not obligated to fund institutions that are antisemitic. Harvard has asked a judge in this case, filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, to make a ruling that would resolve the lawsuit without a trial, which is scheduled to begin July 21. The government may have more motivation to come to a settlement outside of court than Harvard does, said higher education attorney Jodie Ferise, who believes Harvard has a stronger legal case. 'The White House has every incentive to want to reach some kind of compromise, because I don't think they'll win this case,' she said. Harvard has accused the Trump administration of violating its First Amendment rights and of not following the proper federal procedures for revoking funding as laid out under a federal law known as Title VI. The First Amendment claim has become one of the case's central questions: whether it's constitutional for the government to tell a university how to hire, make decisions or regulate campus speech. That issue drew the attention of many of the advocates who filed in support of Harvard. 'The government cannot attempt a hostile takeover of any private institution, much less a private college or university, in order to impose its preferred vision of ideological balance,' the American Civil Liberties Union wrote in a brief filed with seven other organizations, including the right-leaning Cato Institute and Rutherford Institute. In their Monday filing, the administration's allies focused on concerns about alleged antisemitism on campus, pushing for the court to find that Harvard has violated federal antidiscrimination law and should face consequences. 'Universities that accept federal funding must live up to their obligations to protect Jewish students,' the attorneys general of Iowa and 15 other states wrote. '… Harvard's current, suffocating atmosphere of antisemitism is illegal. And that illegal conduct is not protected by the First Amendment.' In a separate case on Friday, a federal judge in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction to prevent the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department from barring international students and scholars from entering the country to attend, conduct research or teach at Harvard. The Trump administration issued a proclamation earlier this month after the same judge – U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs – blocked the administration's attempt to revoke the university's certification to host international students. The proclamation claims the entry of foreign nationals heading to Harvard is 'detrimental to the interests of the United States because, in my judgment, Harvard's conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers.' Harvard sued the administration in May after the government pulled its certification and said foreign students, who make up more than a quarter of Harvard's student body, must transfer or risk losing their visa status. Burroughs's latest ruling addresses what she called 'an end run' around her first order. In a 44-page opinion issued Monday, Burroughs said, 'This case is about core constitutional rights that must be safeguarded: freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech, each of which is a pillar of a functioning democracy and an essential hedge against authoritarianism.' She added: 'Here, the government's efforts to control a reputable academic institution and squelch diverse viewpoints, seemingly because they are, in some instances, opposed to this Administration's own views, threaten these rights. To make matters worse, the government attempts to accomplish this, at least in part, on the backs of international students.'
Business Mayor
03-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Jobs at risk as BCLP 'streamlines operations'
Transatlantic firm BCLP is preparing to shed 8% of its back-office staff in a redundancy consultation announced today. A spokesperson for the firm said: 'We are undergoing a broader business modernization program, which involves a series of strategic initiatives to streamline operations and appropriately reshape teams as we continue to support BCLP's growth and client focus. The firm is offering enhanced redundancy packages and additional support for affected colleagues. The proposed changes will impact approximately 8% of the firm's global business services population.' Global chief operating office Trevor Varnes said: 'We see embracing new ways of working, including investing in technology capabilities, as a cornerstone of our growth. This means taking next steps towards enhancing operational efficiency, leveraging digital solutions and market-leading technology to modernize our processes across a number of targeted and strategic investments and initiatives.' Chief executive Steve Baumer added: 'As we look to the future, we need to ensure our operations are fit to support our growth ambitions and client focus. Our strategy is focused on building a stronger, more agile firm that can deliver long-term, sustainable value to both our clients and our people. 'We recognize the impact changes like these can have on our people, and we do not take these decisions lightly. Our people remain at the heart of BCLP, and we are fully committed to supporting affected colleagues with care, fairness and transparency throughout.' READ SOURCE
Reuters
02-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Law firm BCLP to lay off some US, UK staffers
May 2 (Reuters) - International law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner said Friday that it plans to cut about 8% of its professional staff. The firm said the planned cuts are focused on its business services employees, a group that includes paralegals, administrative support staff and other primarily non-attorney roles. They mainly will affect staff in the United States and the United Kingdom, according to a spokesperson. BCLP in a statement said it is moving to streamline its business operations and "appropriately reshape teams as we continue to support BCLP's growth and client focus." The firm has experienced declines in revenue since its creation by a 2018 transatlantic merger between St. Louis-based Bryan Cave and London's Berwin Leighton Paisner. Its top line increased by 2.3% to about $859.6 million in 2024 from 2023, according to figures reported by the American Lawyer -- still below its revenue in the year following the merger. The firm's attorney head count has also decreased in those years, the data show. Trevor Varnes, who was appointed global chief operating officer on April 1, in a statement said the firm is investing in technology in a push to modernize. A spokesperson declined to say how many business staffers the firm employs or exactly how many individuals would be affected. BCLP has more than 1,200 lawyers in 31 offices globally, according to its website. Large law firms typically employ similar numbers of professional staff as attorneys. BCLP also cut 47 professionals in May 2023 and about 50 employees in March 2024, when some other large law firms were also making cuts. The U.S. legal sector has been steadily adding jobs since August 2024, despite a drop in February, according to U.S. Labor Department data released on Friday. U.S. job growth in the overall labor market slowed marginally in April, but the outlook for the labor market is increasingly darkening as President Donald Trump's protectionist trade policy heightens economic uncertainty. The Labor Department data released on Friday helped temper recession fears, although it is too early for the labor market to show the impact of Trump's on-and-off again tariff policy.
